My Morning Routine

In the pre-child era of my life, I had a lovely, peaceful morning ritual. I’d wake up naturally, sip coffee in silence, and watch the dawn sky turn pink and lavender. Delightful.

Once my daughter Nora was born, mornings shifted from cozy to chaotic.

For the first three years of her life, I didn’t have an intentional routine—just bleary, sleep-deprived, white-knuckle survival mode.

My Previous Morning Routine

For about 1,000 mornings in a row, during the first few years of my child’s life, the pattern went like this:

• Nora wakes (4 am, 5 am—who knows?) and immediately cries for me. She’s hungry and wants mama right now.
• The sound jolts me awake.
• With my nervous system on high alert, I leap out of bed, heart pounding, and rush over to her crib.
• Without taking a moment to splash water on my face or even use the toilet, I instantly spring into mom-mode: rocking, soothing, feeding.
• The rest of the morning blurs into nursing, diapers, cleanup, and later (once she is older) coaching her through tantrums and meltdowns, lunch packing, persuading her to get buckled into the car seat (always a Herculean feat!), and getting out the door on time.
• By 8:30 or 9 am, when I begin my workday, I’m already exhausted—and the day has only just begun.

Unsurprisingly, this “routine” started each day on a frazzled note.

Could I have created a better routine for myself during those infant and toddler years? Absolutely.

But did I? No, I did not.

Why not? Fatigue and brain fog. It’s hard to come up with creative solutions to problems when you’re worn out and not thinking clearly. I resigned myself to the idea that “this is just how it is right now” and “this won’t last forever.”

Then, earlier this year, Nora started sleeping until 6:30 am consistently. No more 4 am shrieks. A revelation.

I thought, “We have entered a new era! This is an opportunity to revamp my morning routine. I could start waking up before her and have some quiet time.”

I grabbed a notepad, mapped out an ideal morning, and committed to trying it.

My Current Morning Routine

For the last 100 days, my routine has looked like this:

• I wake at 5:30 am—an hour before my husband and child.
• I head to the kitchen, start the coffee machine, use a chilled face roller (like this one), and drink a big glass of water.
• I sip coffee in silence, listening to calm, inspiring music (here’s a Morning Routine Playlist I curated with my favorites).
• I write a gratitude list, then roll out my yoga mat and stretch for 10 to 20 minutes.
• I read my 100 Day Letter (it’s a description of the life I want, 100 days in the future, written in present tense as though these future events have already happened).
• I glance at my Winning the Week list (a concept from husband-and-wife duo, Demir and Carey Bentley) to refocus on my top priorities.
• Lastly, I review my day: “By the end of today, I want to be celebrating…”

By the time Nora gets up, I am refreshed, caffeinated, and so happy to greet her.

I pull her onto the couch and we cuddle and talk while my husband makes us breakfast.

Now that is a morning routine!

Finally, I have created what life coach Susan Hyatt calls a Big Yes Morning.

It took a couple years. It probably could have happened sooner. But hey, better now than never.

A Great Morning Begins the Night Before

A concept I learned from naturopathic physician Dr. Corina Dunlap is that deep, restorative sleep starts in the morning.

Beginning your day with frantic energy sets a negative snowball into motion, which gathers speed throughout the day, leading to poor quality sleep at night.

The same is true in reverse: going to bed too late and getting low-quality sleep means the next morning will be rough.

For my positive morning routine to happen, I needed to adjust my evening routine as well: soothing wind-down, reading a physical book rather than bingeing on Netflix, earlier bedtime. Morning and night are entirely connected.

But First, a Shift in Beliefs

Psychologist Dr. Sasha Heinz once told me: “Every behavior is the expression of a belief.”

If you believe, “I need every single minute of sleep I can possibly get, I don’t want to wake up earlier because then I’ll be even more tired,” then you’ll hit the snooze button (even if it means a frenzied rush later).

If you believe, “Waking up earlier is hard sometimes, but it’s a trade-off that’s worth it because when I get up early and take some time for myself, I have more energy for the rest of the day,” you’ll get up at dawn and have a very different experience.

Most people try to change their behavior without addressing the belief driving this behavior in the first place. We insist we will change, relying on willpower and brute force: “I will just do it!” This never works. A shift in thinking must come first.

To change my routine, I had to question my convictions and assumptions and try on new ones. New beliefs lead to new behaviors, which lead to new outcomes.

Consistent, Not Perfect

Rebuilding my morning routine has reinforced a few simple truths. Things I already knew, but needed to remember:

• If something isn’t working, you don’t have to grimace and endure it. You can build something better.
• Perfection is not the goal. There’s no world in which I will complete 100% of my morning routine checklist items, 100% of the time. That’s unrealistic. The goal is 80/20. If I do my morning routine 80% of the time, that’s enough to keep me feeling great. The other 20%? Life happens—and that’s okay.
• Small decisions add up. Waking earlier. Water before coffee. Journaling instead of scrolling. These choices compound into a life that feels different.

Start with One Hour

What’s one part of your day that needs a tune-up?

The first hour of your morning? First hour of your workday? Final hour of the evening?

What would make this part of your day so much better?

What’s a plan that is beautiful and inspiring, and also realistic for the season of life you are in?

You don’t have to overhaul everything in your life overnight.

Start with one hour.

The ripple will spread into the other 23 hours of your day.

16 Lessons From 16 Years of Self-Employment

Exactly 16 years ago, I celebrated my final day as an employee and my first day as an entrepreneur.

Over the years, my career has gone through several evolutions.

In the Beginning

I started out as a rookie freelance writer, hustling hard to find paying gigs and establish a name for myself.

In the beginning, work was scarce and times were lean. I made temporary sacrifices, some of which I’d recommend (like getting a roommate) and others that I later regretted (like draining all the cash in my retirement account to cover my mortgage).

Little by little, projects came in—a trickle at first, then a steady stream.

Tipping Point

A few years in, a tipping point came, and I found myself with more work than I could handle on my own.

I began scaling—a part-time assistant who later went full-time, new offers that served hundreds of customers instead of one client at a time, then a business partner, and eventually more employees and contractors.

Motherhood and Major Shifts

After the birth of my daughter, things changed.

I wanted fewer demands on my time, more simplicity and quiet. I missed the earlier days of my career, when I worked one-to-one with clients and built close, personal connections with each person.

I no longer wanted to spend my days in team meetings, managing employees, or being responsible for so many people’s paychecks. I was nursing my newborn around the clock, I was tired, and my priorities were shifting. I longed to return to the creative work I loved: writing, editing, and creating beautiful books.

It wasn’t that my professional ambition was dwindling. If anything, becoming a mother made me more ambitious, lighting a fire that hadn’t been present before.

As a new mom, I wanted to level up—become a stronger writer and better service provider, collaborate with the world’s top publishers, increase my income significantly, reduce the number of projects on my plate, and focus on a select few. Do less and do it better. My ambition wasn’t shrinking—it was changing shape.

(I owe great thanks to Dr. Anne Welsh, author of Ambitious Mother, for helping me embrace the shift that was happening inside of my heart and mind, and for reminding me that ambition comes in many forms.)

After some tough conversations with myself and others, I streamlined my career and stepped away from a few endeavors, leaving them in the capable hands of my business partner, who chose to keep the company we co-founded going on her own. (We remain great friends, offering the utmost support for each other’s careers.)

My Work—Today

Today, I get to focus on what I love most:

• Writing my books, journals, and card decks with top publishers like Penguin Random House, Hachette, and Chronicle.
• Leading a writing retreat in Hawaii once a year, with many guests who return annually.
• Working with a small number of clients, helping them land publishing deals and write bestselling, award-winning books that change readers’ lives.

At the moment, my career feels like the ideal shape and size for this season of my life. I’m sure it will evolve again in the future. For now, there’s a feeling of just-right-ness that I appreciate.

My Greatest Lessons

Without further ado, here are 16 lessons from 16 years of self-employment.

None of these lessons are revolutionary, and that is perhaps the point: success in business usually comes down to a few simple, universal, timeless truths—things you’ve heard before, things you’ve even said yourself, but that we all need to be reminded of, time and time again.

1. Deliver exactly what you said you would.
2. Hone your skills over time and work toward becoming the top provider in your field.
3. Keep a record of your wins and the results you get for your clients or customers to remind yourself (and others) why it is a very good move to work with you.
4. Don’t overinflate your accomplishments, but do state them succinctly and accurately for others to see.
5. Make the ask.
6. Take more time away from work—breakthrough ideas arrive during a forest walk, a hot shower, or while laughing with friends, not when you are glued to your screen.
7. Keep your promises, big and small. Whether you say, “I’ll text you a link to that website I mentioned,” or “I’d be happy to make that introduction for you,” follow through.
8. It is okay to have high standards and want things to be just right. Surround yourself with colleagues and team members who feel the same way.
9. Details do matter—font, colors, lighting, timing, tone—because all the details converge to create a particular feeling that clients remember, for better or worse.
10. Excellence is attainable. Perfection is not.
11. Define what success means to you personally and commit to this vision.
12. Be fierce and deliberate about reducing incoming noise. It’s extremely difficult to solve problems and produce your best work when you are bombarded by notifications, distractions, and interruptions.
13. If your plan is clearly not working, don’t keep doing it harder—pause, come up with fresh ideas, and try again with a different approach.
14. Put yourself in the client’s shoes: what is their dream? How could you help make their dream come true? What would feel like a miracle for them, provide relief, or make their life so much easier?
15. Be unexpectedly generous.
16. When in doubt, the simplest option is usually the best one.

Not everyone wants to be self-employed.

But if this path calls to you, it is a road—much like the journey of becoming a parent—that will compel you to build new skills, increase your ability to tolerate discomfort, and grow in ways you didn’t even know you needed.

To my fellow freelancers, contractors, entrepreneurs, founders, and other self-employed workers: I’m sending solidarity, peace, and power your way.

Thank you for making your contribution to the world, whatever that looks like for you.

PS. One final lesson I want to add: Never miss a sunset.

It’s something my grandfather Selig always used to say, and that my mom tells me often.

Even when you have deadlines weighing heavily on your shoulders, throngs of clients who need your attention, an incalculable number of emails to answer, and loose ends to tie up, don’t lock into your computer screen so intensely that you miss out on your life.

Stop and get a beverage. Put down your phone and look up. Watch the sunset. Take it all in. Savor the beautiful life you are working so hard to build.

No matter how busy or successful you become, never miss those little moments that add up to a life well-lived.

Out of all the lessons I mentioned, this one is the most important, and the one I need to remind myself of the most often.

Infinite Versions of Success

Years ago, a woman named Andrea reached out and asked if I could help her write a book.

“Tell me more about what you are envisioning,” I said. “What type of book?”

She explained that her book wasn’t the conventional kind. It wouldn’t be sold on Amazon or sit on the shelf at Barnes & Noble.

Because this book was intended for just five readers: her children.

“I want to create a book of wisdom from my life,” she told me. “Things that have happened to me, lessons I’ve learned the hard way, and ideas I want my kids to carry with them.”

“I’ll print five copies,” she continued. “On each child’s 18th birthday, I’ll give them their book, along with an audiobook I’ve recorded. That way, years from now, when I’m no longer alive, they’ll still have my voice with them—always.”

Tears in my eyes, I said, “I would be honored to help you create this.”

When I begin working with a new client, one of the first questions I ask is, “When it comes to this particular project, what does success mean for you?” I invite them to define it on their own terms.

For Andrea, success meant finishing the project rather than putting it off indefinitely, enjoying the process, and creating a keepsake for her children.

Fiona defined success differently: “I don’t care too much about book sales,” she explained, adding, “I want to donate 100 copies to hospitals, clinics, schools, and libraries. If I can change—or save—even one life, that’s success to me.”

Jen’s version of success sounded like this: “I want to hit a major bestseller list, one with prestige and gravitas. Mainstream visibility matters to me, because it opens doors for other women authors—especially women of color.”

Three very different—and equally beautiful—versions of success.

All three of these clients accomplished precisely what they intended to do.

What does it mean to be “successful”? It means whatever you decide.

Are you a successful author? An excellent leader? A good parent?

In the past, I often chased goals relentlessly without pausing to consider, “What does success mean to me personally?”

Instead, I sprinted after someone else’s version of success—hustling to amass more social media followers, pitching myself to appear on morning TV talk shows, changing my business model, pricing, or marketing approach to match what my colleagues were doing—and even after accomplishing the feat, it only resulted in exhaustion, an empty-feeling spirit, and an even emptier bank account. It’s not that any of these endeavors aren’t right—it’s just that they weren’t right for me.

Other times, I made my definition of success unnecessarily complicated—with too many different goals—and wound up spread thin, spinning in circles, expending tons of energy and getting pretty much nowhere. (It’s difficult to aim your arrow at sixteen different bullseyes all at once.)

And sometimes, I hesitated to admit what I really wanted—holding back from saying, “I want to get a book deal with one of the top publishers in the world,” “I want to earn a lot more money,” or even, “Actually, if I’m being honest, I would like to get married one day,”—downplaying my hopes because it felt safer to pretend I didn’t care about these things. Easier to feign that these “didn’t matter,” shielding myself from potential disappointment.

Gradually, I am learning how to define success in specific, personal language that rings true for me, with rightness and resonance, like the clearest bell.

An invitation for myself, my clients, and you:

• Consider a project you want to do (book, podcast, etc.) or a role you have in life (service provider, mom, etc.)
• For this project or role, decide what success means to you.
• Write down your definition. Try to keep it brief and uncomplicated. Think: a sentence or two.
• Read it back and ask: “Is this really what I want to achieve? Or am I shrinking or inflating my desires based on societal expectations, or due to limiting beliefs about myself and what I am capable of?”
• Consider how this definition feels physically in your body. Does it bring tears to your eyes because you know it’s true, and this is the first time you have admitted what you want? Cause tingles of nervous excitement? Feel blasé or boring? Tight or constricting?
• Adjust your definition if needed.
• If it’s helpful, create your primary definition of success (what matters most) and your secondary definition (not essential, but would be lovely—if this happens, it’s a cherry on top).

Once you have defined success, go after it with the understanding that the vision may evolve over time. What success looks like at 42 may differ from what it meant half a lifetime ago at 21.

Research tells us that feeling successful can boost our well-being. When people feel effective, capable, and competent, they’re more motivated to tackle new endeavors and keep growing and improving. I have certainly noticed this in my own life: the more I feel like I am winning, the more determination and vigor I bring to my goals, and the more wins I stack up.

When you can sigh with satisfaction at the end of a long journey and say, “I set a clear intention. I did what I set out to do. I am truly proud of myself,” it’s an incredibly positive feeling. But you can’t access this emotion unless you know what success means in the first place.

What does it mean to you?

I Quit Social Media 10 Years Ago

Ten years ago, I deleted all of my social media accounts. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter (now X). Plus a few platforms that no longer exist. (Remember Vine?)

Initially, I never intended to quit social media entirely. It all started with a tiny experiment: a three-month break from social media over the summer. Just a temporary pause.

I told myself, “I will step away for a few months and see how it goes. Will I miss it? Feel disconnected from my friends? Will there be a negative impact on my career? Fewer clients? Lower sales? I don’t know. But there’s only one way to find out. I have to try it and see.”

During my social media sabbatical, I noticed that my mind felt less cluttered. My concentration improved. It felt easier to lock into a focused flow state at work and get big projects done.

I found myself engaging with the world in a different way, noticing the small details around me (light filtering through the trees, the sound of birds, the cool air on my skin) rather than staring down at my phone so much of the time, oblivious to my surroundings. Overall, I felt less distracted and more creative.

When the summer ended, I realized, “I like how this change feels. I don’t have any particular desire to return to social media.”

So, I didn’t.

That was a decade ago.

Since then, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about this choice, including:

• What prompted you to quit social media? (Was there a particular experience that led to this decision?)
• If you don’t use social media, how do you stay connected with colleagues and friends?
• How do you stay on top of the news?
• How do you find clients? Sell spots for your writing retreats? Sell books? (Isn’t building a social media following a ‘must-do’ for entrepreneurs?)
• Do you ever miss it?
• Do you think social media is “bad”?
• Do you think your decision to leave social media has “held back” your career in some way? Would you be more successful today if you had stayed?
• If someone were thinking about changing their relationship with social media (or technology / screen time overall), what are the first steps you’d recommend?

Below, I answer all of these questions.

I hope that hearing my story is interesting and thought-provoking, and that it inspires you to consider what kinds of changes you’d like to make in your own life or career.

• What prompted you to quit social media? (Was there a particular experience that led to this decision?)

It was a variety of factors, not just one.

Mainly, I felt concerned that I was spending an excessive amount of time on social media. Time that might be better spent rolling out my yoga mat, connecting with nature, spending quality time with my loved ones, honing my professional skills, writing my next novel, and so on.

Excessive scrolling was taking a toll on my mental health. I often felt distracted, mentally cluttered, and fatigued, and was having OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) flare-ups. Strong compulsions to do ritualistic behaviors (like checking my front doorknob 20 times in a row to confirm that it was locked, walking to my car, getting in, then returning to the door to check it “just one more time”) which degraded my quality of life and made my world smaller and more limited.

I recall thinking, “I wish I could shampoo my brain and rinse away all the debris that has accumulated over time.” I was craving fresh energy. A reset.

On top of that, I had a series of experiences in my professional life that left me feeling violated and exhausted.

A scammer impersonated me, creating a fake website using my content which they had copy-pasted directly from my site, and photographs of me. I contacted the appropriate authorities and was able to get the fake site taken down.

But then, shortly after that, another scammer pretended to be me, this time using my name and photo to set up a “donation page” for an online fundraiser, raising funds for (what I can only presume was) a fake charity organization. I didn’t even know this was happening until a colleague reached out to ask, “Hey, are you aware of this?” and alerted me to the issue.

To cap it all off, I had also been dealing with a blog reader who exhibited stalker-like behavior, sending me their artwork featuring portraits of me. My gut sensed that something was “off,” but I told myself, “Well, maybe this person is just a big fan of my writing.” Gradually, things escalated, and this individual began searching to find my family members’ and clients’ contact information online, and started emailing them repeatedly. I began to worry about the volume of information about me that was readily available online, and how this might impact my safety and others in my life.

I am not a famous influencer or celebrity, but due to my modest following and presence online, some very unsettling things were happening.

After going through all of this, I needed a break from the Internet.

I wanted to reclaim my privacy and sense of safety. Taking three months off, away from social media, felt like a good start. Three months turned into six, then twelve, then a decade.

Recommended reading: Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness by David and Austin Perlmutter.

• If you don’t use social media, how do you stay connected with colleagues and friends?

I text and send quick emails to check in with my clients and colleagues periodically.

I love sending audio messages using Voxer. I often send birthday gifts via snail mail.

I put important dates into my calendar, such as a colleague’s book release date, or 10-year business anniversary, to remind myself to reach out and celebrate this milestone with them.

From time to time, I invite one or two colleagues to fly to my hometown for a “work-cation.” Free of charge. I provide accommodation and meals. All they have to do is show up. It’s kinda like a vacation, with long walks, beach time, and hot tubbing at sunset with a mocktail in hand, except we also discuss our professional goals and do some coworking together.

These work-cations provide an opportunity to deepen some of my most important professional relationships … without having to get on a flight and leave home. (Because I live on a remote island and have a toddler, I love when people travel to me.)

In terms of non-work-related friendships, I’m part of a local book club which is always the highlight of my month, and meet up regularly with friends and fellow parents for kids’ playdates, music circle, and story time at the public library. For me, these connections feel more enriching than scrolling and posting.

Recommended reading: Rich Relationships: Create a Million-Dollar Network for Your Business by Selena Soo.

• How do you stay on top of the news?

I read newspapers and listen to podcasts.

I am intentional about seeking out content (podcasts, audiobooks, and beyond) from creators who aren’t “exactly like me” so that I can get glimpses into other realities, identities, and experiences in our world.

I talk to people in my local community (and wider network, including people who live in other states or countries) to find out their actual, lived experiences, so that I’m getting “the news” directly from people who are living through it.

Because I don’t stay on top of the news every day, sometimes, I do miss out on a breaking news story, or find out about something a day or two (or even three) after it has happened. I am okay with this. I believe it’s possible to be an informed citizen, and make a positive contribution to the world, without reading the latest headlines every single day of your life.

Recommended reading: Life As a Daymaker: How to Change the World by Simply Making Someone’s Day by David Wagner.

• How do you find clients? Sell spots for your writing retreats? Sell books?

Great question! I wrote an article on this topic, breaking down exactly how I do it. Enjoy.

Recommended reading: you might also enjoy my article called “20 Ways To Find Clients And Customers Without Using Social Media.”

• Do you ever miss social media?

Nope.

When I decided to step away, I missed the quick dopamine hit that can come from posting and receiving positive comments, likes, hearts, etc. But after a couple of weeks, I didn’t miss it anymore. These days, I rarely think about social media at all.

Recommended reading: The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo.

• Do you think your decision to leave social media has “held back” your career in some way? Would you be more successful today if you had stayed?

This depends on how one defines “success.”

I am proud of the career that I have today. I’ve written and created more than 10 books, journals, and card decks, and get to collaborate with wonderful publishers including Penguin Random House, Chronicle, and Hachette.

A few of my career highlights include Our Q&A a Day: a 3-Year Journal for Couples (part of the bestselling Q&A a Day collection of journals, with over 2.5 million sold), The Bibliophile Oracle Deck (a beautiful illustrated card deck for book lovers), and Awestruck (a journal dedicated to finding tiny moments of awe in your everyday life).

Some of my projects have been very strong sellers. Some have not. But I love each and every product that I’ve ever created.

In addition to releasing my own books and products, I also work as a writing partner and editor, and have the honor of working with exceptional clients.

As a writing partner, I help my clients write powerful books that change readers’ lives. Some of these projects include Rich Relationships by Selena Soo (USA Today bestseller, winner of the Gold Medal in the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards for the nonfiction/marketing category), Unicorn Team by Jen Kem (USA Today bestseller), We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers (Wall Street Journal bestseller), Your Next Level Life by Karen Arrington (NAACP Image Award winner, outstanding literary work), Ambitious Mother by Dr. Anne Welsh (featuring a Foreword by Robin Arzón, Vice President of Fitness Programming and Head Instructor at Peloton) and many more.

In addition to typing away on my computer, I also lead writing retreats in Hawaii once or twice a year, which I greatly enjoy.

I don’t have millions of readers or followers. I don’t run an eight-figure company (however, congratulations to those who do!). But I have created a quiet, meaningful, and prosperous career that I love. I get to work in my beautiful office, surrounded by books and plants, listening to my favorite music, working on projects that excite me, and making a difference in my own way.

Would I be in a “better” or “different” place today if I had stayed active on social media, and if I had poured time and energy into growing a large following there? Maybe. Maybe not. I am content with who I am and the work I am doing today, so … no regrets.

Recommended reading: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.

• Do you think social media is “bad”?

No, not necessarily. Just like a knife, social media is a tool, and is not inherently negative or positive.

I believe social media (just like TV, radio, email, and other forms of communication) can be used to do tremendous harm or tremendous good. It all depends on how you use it.

That said, social media was designed to be extremely compelling. It’s meant to hook you in, an alluring infinity pool that can keep you scrolling endlessly.

If you choose to use it, be mindful of this, and set appropriate limits and boundaries that work for you.

Recommended reading: Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal.

• If someone were thinking about changing their relationship with social media (or technology/screen time overall), what are the first steps you’d recommend?

Start small. Come up with one change you’d like to make. For instance, maybe you want to stop scrolling on your phone at bedtime.

Consider, “Why do I do this? What’s the ‘need’ that’s being expressed here?”

Maybe at bedtime, you’re craving a little treat, pleasure, fun, beauty, entertainment, or an escape from reality.

Ask yourself, “What are some beautiful alternatives that I could do instead of scrolling?”

Alternatives could be reading a page-turning novel, listening to a guided meditation, answering one question in your journal, sipping herbal tea in your favorite mug, doing wind-down stretches in your soft PJs, or anything else that provides some of the feelings you’re craving.

It’s often said that “behind every behavior is a need.” Try to identify the need you’re experiencing, which could be a need for connection, comfort, validation, reassurance, relief from boredom, or something else. What is an alternative way you could meet this need without reaching for a device?

Perfection is not required in order to make a positive shift in your life. Remember the 80-20 principle. If you avoid mindless scrolling 80% of the time and backslide into old habits 20%, you’re doing pretty great.

Although I no longer use social media, this doesn’t mean my relationship with technology is “perfect.”

Some days, I get lost in my inbox for an unreasonable length of time. Other days, I go down Internet rabbit holes (BuzzFeed tempts me, with her siren call!) and spend a whole hour clicking through photos of “which celebrity wore what” to a Hollywood award ceremony or listicles with “skincare tips for women over 40.” And some days, when I’m on a tight writing deadline, I might park myself in front of a screen for eight or even ten hours, typing furiously, until my eyes are strained and aching.

These things do happen. But nowadays, these occurrences are somewhat rare. They happen sometimes, but not daily. And for me, this has made a big difference.

* * *

You may decide that social media doesn’t need to be a part of your life or career at this time. Great.

Or you might love social media, because it adds valuable connections and inspiration into your life. That’s great, too.

My intention is not to convince you to remain on social media or leave, but rather, to inspire you to approach life with even more curiosity. To ask new questions: “Do I really need to do X just because most people do?” “Could there be another way? “What else could be possible?”

Why not do a tiny experiment in your own life?

A digital experiment, wellness experiment, career experiment, or whatever you feel called to do.

Will the experiment lead to the results you’re hoping for?

What will happen?

There is only one way to find out—and that is simply to do it.

A Lesson From the Forest